If you’re looking for ideas on how to style a turtleneck, chances are you’re reading this during the colder months. It could be the beginning of fall, early winter, or even that stretch after Christmas when you’re still very much dressing for the cold. Either way, the outfits in this post will give you ideas for all of it.
So, grab a warm drink and take a few minutes to get inspired.
Along with showing you the outfits and chatting about the styling details I can spot, I also want to give you practical ideas for how to style your turtleneck from work to the weekend, with outfit formulas you can easily follow.
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This Is How Italian Women Wear A Turtleneck
If you take the time to observe how Italian women wear it, you’ll quickly understand that the turtleneck is part of a bigger game. It never stands alone, it compliments the outfit.
It adds a lot of elegance.
It’s evident that the color choice is an important one – usually monochrome, tonal, or complimentary; other times it’s a classic color that adds contrast.
It’s always well fitted, rarely oversized.
It comes in high quality fabrics like cashmere and merino wool or lighter fabric blends like modal and silk.
Its neckline is nicely fitted, without showing any stretch or wear and tear.
While the choice to wear a turtleneck might stem from the need to add warmth, the aesthetic result is rarely casual.
In terms of style, you’ll see two types – the one I grew up wearing, which has the extra long neck that you need to fold over, or the one that has just enough fabric to cover your neck without any folds. This feels more modern and chicer.
The turtleneck is also seen as a piece that highlights the neck, lengthens it and draws the eyes towards it. It’s one of those pieces that makes you feel more attractive, by actually covering it rather than showing it off. And this works for both genders. It’s like cinching your waist, but for your neck.
A turtleneck can also make you look taller, especially if you pair it with well fitted (tailored, not tight) pants and pointed heeled shoes. It’s like you’re extending yourself from one end to the other.
Wearing a turtleneck in Italy is not only a weather choice, it’s also very much about the aesthetic. In fact, it’s the only way your top can truly shine under a big coat, by having the neck part show. And that little detail adds more interest to your winter outfits than you realize.
Of course, it shines even more if you are wearing a low neckline coat or jacket, like a v neck, or a less structured outerwear piece.
In terms of styling, Italian women love to wear it on its own, layered under a blazer or a coat. That makes the biggest statement. It’s very elegant, even for work.
However, when the weather gets colder, you’ll see the turtlenecks peeking out underneath scarves, whether they are the same color, or not.
When I look at the outfits I have curated for this post, this is what I see.
While the turtleneck is not a tailored piece in itself, it adds to that look, mostly because of the fabric and the fit choice, but very much because of the styling. It’s almost always styled under a structured blazer, suit, or a smart coat. It simply complements the way Italians dress beautifully. No wonder it’s one of those garments that has been in our wardrobes for years, and never dates.
In terms of rules, there aren’t many. The turtleneck usually comes out to play in Fall and Winter, but you’ll see it at the beginning of Spring too, at least in Northern Italy, including Milan.
I’ve always known that it doesn’t really go with a sandal, because those belong to opposite seasons. In fact all of the outfits I am showing you, except one, support this rule. There’s only one with sandals, and it’s a very transitional one. It’s also the only outfit that makes me think the woman wearing it might be a foreigner living in Milan.
Rule aside, I do think there’s a place for wearing a roll neck and a sandal together – like a sleeveless rollneck (perhaps a mock neck one) with a high heeled sandal, paired with wide leg tailored pants.
Turtleneck Outfit Formulas Inspired By Italian Style
If you’re not a visual person, this section will help you break down those outfits more easily.
Turtlenecks in Fall
At the beginning of the colder season, the turtleneck has a very transitioning role. It’s there to add warmth but also steer your outfit away from Summer, while still keeping it away from looking Wintery.
Here are four ways to do that.
Work: A tonal turtleneck and bottom (pants or skirt) with a fall printed blazer. You can dress this down or up by wearing the right pair of heels or loafers.
Weekend: Wide leg pleated pants (like the popular Favorite daughter ones) with a sleeveless turtleneck styled under a blazer or a jacket worn over the shoulders. Opt for a casual pair of shoes – white sneakers, loafers, flat mary janes.
Night out: A monochrome outfit from head to toe with one pop of color that can be the bag, or the shoes, or perhaps playing with the tights. See this post for tights combinations.
This outfit can work in Winter too, thanks to those faux clear thermal tights that are now
available. You just need to find a pair that complements your skin color and looks fairly realistic.
Travel: If you like wearing a suit casually, a turtleneck is a great piece to style underneath, paired with a pair of sneakers.
Turtlenecks in Winter
Here, your turtleneck not only adds warmth, but also hides the other layers you are wearing underneath. And it acts as a visual layering piece, adding interest to your bulkier outfits.
The outfits below are perfect examples:
Wear a high neck turtleneck under a belted coat with knee high boots. The turtleneck could be a top or part of a dress. The key here is to create contrast with all of those top pieces – the pieces that are visible. It doesn’t necessarily need to be completely different colors, it can also be a small contrast between different shades.
Another way to achieve that layered effect is to wear a turtleneck under a warm blazer style coat, an A line mid skirt with knee high boots. It looks very seasonal, it’s warm, you can hide more layers underneath, and there’s a lot of interest going on, especially if you compliment the colors rather than going monochrome or too tonal.
You can create that beautiful visual layered effect when you pair a turtleneck with a longer coat and pants. Just add a print – it could be the pants, like in the example below, or the turtleneck.
The different layers with different heights, colors, fabrics, and that print will make your winter “covered” outfit more intricate, more layered, and visually more interesting. And it doesn’t have to be a colorful outfit – you can totally go tonal and add a print, but I’d suggest just having a few shades of the same color next to each other, to add something else to that outfit.
If you like the idea of making your outfits more interesting through layering, there are many ways you can do that, not just with a turtleneck. Read this: 22 Italian-Style Layered Outfits For Fall.
More Seasonal Italian Fashion
I hope this post inspires you to wear your turtlenecks differently.
I’m going to link to these other guides that beautifully complement a roll neck or a dolce vita. Yes, dolce vita is the way we call a turtleneck in Italian, and it’s mostly because it was Fellini’s film that popularized this garment in Italy.
21 Black Coat Outfits Inspired By Italian Style
Black Boots Outfits: Chic Ways Italian Women Wear Them
Camel Coat Outfits: Italian Style Inspiration
Italian Street Style: Brown Boots Outfits From Milan
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Thank you for taking the time to read this.
A presto,
Alessia
